1996-97: Faculty Salaries in Graduate Departments of Psychology

Background

Surveys of faculty salaries in graduate departments of psychology have been conducted since the mid 1960s, first by the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP), and after 1978 by the American Psychological Association (APA) in conjunction with COGDOP. Subsequent years saw the survey broaden in scope to cover more diverse issues concerning graduate education, and in 1990 it was divided into two separate components. This report presents results of the initial phase of the survey, addressing faculty salaries.

Method

In October 1996 the Faculty Salaries portion of the 1996-97 Survey of Graduate Departments of Psychology was mailed to 694 U.S. and Canadian graduate departments of psychology. Eligible departments were drawn from the current edition of Graduate Study in Psychology (APA, 1995) and prior editions, which include many departments not strictly defined as psychology departments (e.g., Graduate Study in Psychology and Associated Fields, APA, 1991), and from the membership of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP).The questionnaire requested information on demographics, employment status, rank, years in rank, highest degree and year awarded, and salary for all faculty members. Departments that had not yet returned completed forms by late November were sent a second set of materials.

Of the 694 departments and professional schools surveyed, 384 provided at least some usable information, for an overall response rate of 55.3%. Data presented in this report are based on 6,491 faculty who hold doctorates, who are employed full time, and for whom the relevant data were available. Included in this total are 4,927 faculty in 254 U.S. doctoral departments, 1,186 faculty in 103 U.S. master's departments, and 378 faculty in 12 Canadian departments.

Consistent with previous efforts, response rates varied considerably, depending on the geographic location of the institution, the highest degree offered by the department (doctoral or master's), whether the institution is public or private, and the department type. Substantially higher levels of response were obtained in the U.S. for doctoral departments (62.1%) than for master's departments (46.5%). Departments in the U.S. overall were far more likely to have completed the survey than Canadian departments (56.4% versus 36.1%). Psychology departments were more likely than other types of academic units (e.g., professional schools or educational psychology departments) to provide data. More information on specific response rates can be found in Appendix Table A.

Structure of the Report

Results are presented separately for: (1) U.S. doctoral departments; (2) U.S. master's departments; and (3) Canadian departments. For U.S. doctoral departments, salaries are broken out along the following dimensions: geographic region, public or private institution status, and type of department (e.g., psychology, professional school of psychology, or human development). Among master's departments, the majority of participants were psychology departments; thus, detailed analyses have been limited to this category. Statistics on Canadian faculty concentrate on doctoral-level departments as there was only one at the mater's level supplying data.

Most salaries are reported according to academic rank and years in rank, or by years since earning the doctorate. Additional tables report salaries paid to chairs, other administrative positions, and newly hired faculty, changes averaged over the past three years, and a comparison of academic salaries paid to men and women of equivalent years in rank. The final table presents average amounts paid to adjunct or other part-time faculty who are compensated on a per-course basis.

Caveats

Readers of this report should consider possible error introduced by nonresponse. Comparisons of respondents with nonrespondents indicated few marked differences in terms of the geographic distribution for U.S. doctoral departments overall and doctoral psychology departments, in particular. However, the response rate was lower for U.S. master's departments and especially for departments in Canada. Thus, in reading the results, it is important to consult Appendix A for the appropriate rate of response.

Several tables report percent changes in average salaries over the past two years. These percentages are discussed in both monetary terms (as measured in current dollars) and in real terms (those that have been adjusted for inflation rates reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Embassy of Canada). It is important t note that these percentage changes are based on salary data reported by departments that responded to the survey for the respective years; they are not based on changes in faculty salaries computed on an individual basis. Thus, they are subject to the error that may be introduced by a slightly different set of departments responding to each survey.

Readers should also note that the term "Graduate Departments of Psychology" is meant broadly to encompass departments, schools, interdisciplinary programs, or other academic units listed in recent editions of Graduate Study in Psychology as offering a graduate degree in one or more areas of psychology. Departments may be called any of the following: (a) psychology; (b) educational psychology; (c) counseling psychology; (d) human development; (e) professional school; (f) counseling, guidance and counselor education; (g) school psychology; (h) education; or (i) other, but these department names are not synonymous with program areas. For example, a program in counseling or school psychology may be found in any of several categories. Almost two thirds of the departments award degrees in multiple areas of psychology. The remaining third tend to be departments that are specialized, offering degrees in a few closely related subfields. Thus, "graduate departments of psychology" refers to any academic unit that offers one or more graduate degrees in psychology.

American Psychological Association (1995). Graduate Study in Psychology, 1994, with 1995 Addendum. Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychological Association (1991). Graduate Study in Psychology and Associated Fields, 1990, with 1991 Addendum. Washington, DC: Author.

The annual Survey of Graduate Departments of Psychology is conducted with the active support, counsel and cooperation of the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology and its Executive Board. This report is prepared by the Research Office, within APA's Central Programs. We gratefully acknowledge the continued support of Dr. Raymond Fowler, Chief Executive Officer of APA, and Dr. Michael Honaker, Deputy Executive Director for Central Programs.

This year, in particular, the report truly reflects a cooperative effort. We wish to thank Treviette Sauls, Steven Williams and Kate Woerheide, interns in the Research Office, for their conscientious work updating and entering data, and proofing materials for this report.

Finally, each department chair who participated in this year's survey deserves special acknowledgement. Without their cooperation in completing the questionnaire, this report would not be possible.